From the kitchen, I watched this scene with amusement – not thinking that she had ADHD (she doesn’t) – but rather about how similar her very typical child behavior was, in adult terms, to that esteemed value we call multi-tasking.

There is no such thing in the business world as doing something. If you’re not doing multiple somethings, you’re not efficient, you’re not productive. How many times have watched clients start one project – something really urgent, that really needs to move forward quickly. Then, something else comes up, they get distracted, and I hear from them two weeks later. Then the project becomes even more urgent, until it’s moved down in the priority list again.

In this way, countless projects that could have taken two weeks take months. Because multi-tasking isn’t really doing somethings – it’s doing pieces of somethings, which often add up in the short term to nothings. Like the mother I saw in the schoolyard, talking simultaneously to someone on her cell phone and to her child. She was actually talking to neither.

The point is this: in a world where the ability to multi-task has become a value and a benchmark for productivity, there’s still room for linearity! You can actually be more productive if you devote your full power of concentration to one task at a time, bring it to some sort of resolution, and then move on to the next task. Or, as my grandmother (who was not a multi-tasker in any sense of the word) used to say: “finish what you started!”

Confused? I’ll explain.

When most companies create collateral, they’re thinking of themselves. What do we produce? How much do we want to sell, and to whom? How can we figuratively reach our target audience, turn them upside down with our words, and shake their pockets empty?

I read a nice blog post on Social Media Today that compared this type of attitude, in the social media context, to attending a dinner party and talking solely about yourself. And this is such an apt comparison. Because no matter how interesting you actually are, if you persist, you will inevitably find yourself alone by the punchbowl. The way you attract people is to be a listener, a conversationalist, not a monologue deliverer.

Great, you’re thinking. This is OK for social media, which does have a level of interactivity – but it has no relevance to our more traditional marketing channels.

And with this, I would disagree. It has every relevance.

When you create your core messaging – that raw material that’s going to be the basis of all the collateral you’re going to produce – remember that it’s ultimately not about you. This sounds intuitive, but I can assure you it’s not. It’s a wholly different mindset. Sometimes it’s an easy flip-flop for my clients to make, and sometimes it’s like pulling teeth. “Not about you” means simply starting with benefits, not features. It means addressing your target audience’s pain first, not your own self-aggrandizing functionality.

After all, would you trust George Costanza to promote your company’s brand?

This week, after I signed an long NDA and before I began work, a new client pre-threatened me with legal action if I revealed even a hint of his trade secrets in the marketing material I was creating. Hmm. This is certainly debatable in efficacy as a sub-contractor motivational strategy, but is illustrative of an important point.

Many of my clients prefer to keep their cards close to their figurative chests. And this preference is legitimate and understandable. They’ve worked hard to create something of value, and are afraid it will be stolen.

However, IMHO, the marketing value of “stealth mode” is almost nil. The market no longer sees a vaguely-worded one-pager as indicative of wonders to be revealed – quite the opposite. If you’re not providing value up front, you’re not whetting appetites – you’re just wasting people’s time.

So, if you can’t say something, it’s better to say nothing. If you can’t reveal enough information to provide your target audience with a tangible taste of your value, then you’re not at the stage where you need to be reaching out to your target audience.

You don’t really have to give it all away. But, in the immortal words of Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis, “Keep your more to receive your less.” Or, as my grandmother – who never wrote a rock song in her long life – used to say, “You reap what you sow.”

I am unqualified and uninterested in the theological or dogmatic implications of the Bark Mitzvah. However, as a marketer – and more importantly a copywriter – I am interested in the psychological motives behind the phenomenon. Because we can learn something from the Bark Mitzvah, and we can apply it even in the most mundane of our communications with the outside world (i.e. our target audience).

And here it is, in its simple glory: people need to feel a sense of belonging. They need to demonstratively associate themselves on a personal level with long-held, popular values. This drive is so powerful that they’ll go to extreme (or in the case of Bark Mitzvahs, ridiculous) lengths to fulfill the need.

And here’s where we, as marketers, need to cynically step in. Find the need. Find the longing. And tap into it. I tell my clients that I want to know what color socks their target audience wears on Tuesdays, and what they like on their toast.

We’re not talking about just consumer products either. My B2B clients sometimes tell me “well, we ARE B2B, so we can keep the messages general.” WRONG! People are still the ones making making decisions in any market, in the end. And it is exactly these people who are driven – as are we all, apparently – to feel part of something larger than themselves, to be fulfilled in a way that they themselves may not fully understand. So, before we can effectively reach them, we need to identify exactly what it is that (collectively) motivates them.

How many times have I stood in front of him, and let him continue speaking long after I’ve lost track of what he’s talking about? At first, I try to ask questions, but I inevitably get lost in the details. In the end, I usually pretend to understand – partly so as not to look like a total idiot, and partly just to get him to stop talking. Ultimately, he does whatever he thinks, and charges me whatever he wants.

But today I realized that I have this exact relationship with many clients.

How many times have I sat with clients as they tell me how clear they are on their messaging? Of course, it’s obvious. The benefits of the product are quite clear. Well, no, they’ve never really sat down and written down their messages, but they know them. No, they haven’t thoroughly compared their offering to the competition – because there really isn’t anything competing with this wonderful product. And OK, no, they haven’t checked that what they think is in-line with what the other decision makers in the organization think. And no, no analysts or industry thinkers actually cover their particular niche because it’s so innovative, you see? But aside from all that, what needs to be said is really quite clear. And all I have to do is put it into words.

Thus, our roles are defined as customer (the client) and mechanic (me).

Because by NOT providing me with a real marketing plan, clear and detailed analysis of your target audiences, clearly-defined and segmented messages, and a detailed matrix of advantages – you’re taking it on faith that I’ll stick things together with wire and glue to create viable and effective collateral that goes when you step on the gas pedal.

Now, I trust my mechanic. I do. Which is a good thing, because there really is no hope that I will ever understand my car as well as he does. But marketing is not automotive repair. And if you give me the right tools, you will infallibly get better, more effective results.

I’m not saying that there’s a place for conversation in everything we create. I’ll maintain that conversation – eliciting a response which will demand yet another response (and OK, will hopefully result in an exchange of currency at some point) – should be the ultimate goal of quality marketing content. And sometimes, even in face-to-face interaction, you do just need do to say what you need to say, without interruption. But when was the last time you tried to strike up a dialog – via social media or otherwise – with a member of your target audience?

In our frenetic, SMS-paced world, I think it could be good to slow down, to listen to what the people we’re speaking at are hearing, answer them, and then listen some more. Conveying messages interactively, like in the olden days.

Ostensibly, this is a legitimate offline vehicle, drawing mindshare to marketing efforts on a crucial online channel. We’re investing a lot in our social media marketing – the thinking goes – and we want to make sure everyone knows about it. Fair enough, right?

Frankly, no. To me, a print ad touting FB is like a Ford ad proudly announcing “Now, with TIRES!”

Because selling a car without tires is a ridiculous thought, and advertising such a key automobile component as a feature is just dumb, right?

So, in a climate where a corporate social media presence is a given, why shout about it? Better invest that effort in deepening the conversation with your customers via social media channels, or in creating quality content that engages them – which is where most companies are falling short. 

Perhaps I’ve stretched the metaphor a bit thin. But over-chewing is endemic in a lot of content writing. Over-chewing text, that is. Hiring a writer, producing text that conveys the exact message you wanted to convey – and over-chewing it until it resembles…well, we’ll leave the graphic descriptions to your imagination.

By way of simple example, once upon a time there was a simple marketing message:

“Our product outperforms the competition.”

Then, it was chewed once:

“Our product, designed solely for the purpose of solving client problems, outperforms the competition.”

Then, it was further chewed:

“Our product, designed solely for the purpose of solving the problems of our clients worldwide, outperforms the competition.”

And again:

“Our product, designed solely for the purpose of solving the problems of our top-tier clients in Europe, Asia, North and South America, outperforms the competition, which remains light-years behind.”

I think you’ll agree that the last version says virtually nothing more than the first.

Marketers should trust their gut feelings, and not over-think (i.e. over-chew) messages. If it’s simple and it works, don’t fix it until it doesn’t – use it!

THE TAKEAWAY: Stop chewing SO thoroughly and SWALLOW ALREADY!

As 2011 comes to a close, I’ve learned that it’s not enough to write TO an audience any more. Everything I create at SDG Communications is today about engagement. Yes, Virginia, even the print media. Because that’s what readers expect. Social media has changed our expectations of corporate communications. Nobody wants to hear speeches anymore. They want a conversation – or at least the appearance of a conversation.

True, a datasheet or even a web page is never going to be a real conversation. But I’m talking about tone. It’s like talking to your children. You can talk at them, or speak with them. What’s more effective?

Readers of the collateral you’re producing will hear your messages better if they’re packaged right. It’s always been like this. Ten years ago, it was blue-suit and corporate cubicle dry – airtight, but unimaginative. Today, the packaging is social.

THE TAKEAWAY: Use the right tone for the right time.